Stalked Student Lobbies for Better Safety on Campus

A student from the renowned Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA is lobbying for her right to carry a concealed weapon on campus. Taylor Woolrich recently shared her story in Washington at the Student’s for Concealed Carry’s National Conference. She met a man named Richard Bennett, back in 2010 while she was working in a coffee shop. He developed an obsession with the pretty campus student. And she claims that the 67-year-old man had been stalking her ever since that first encounter.

Bennett is now behind bars in California after violating the terms of a restraining order filed by Woolrich. His bail stands at a reported $300, 000. When he was pulled over and arrested by cops in June, the media reported that he had in his possession what cops described as a ‘rape kit’. This included rope fashioned into a noose, a flashlight and gloves, among other items.

He had allegedly attempted to attack Woolrich’s then-boyfriend when she was seventeen. She claims that she subsequently ‘threw hot coffee in his face’ and told him to sever all contact and ‘leave her alone’. He had invited her to ‘go camping with him’ on many occasions, to which she had refused. Police arrested him after he turned up at her house offering ‘landscaping services’.

Woolrich, originally from San Diego, claims she feels safer with him behind bars. But she worries that he will soon be eligible for bail. She feels that she should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon whilst on campus at the prestigious Dartmouth College. Woolrich feels that it’s an issue of student safety and her being able to protect herself. University officials have informed Woolrich that it’s not possible for her to carry a gun whilst on campus. They stated that she cannot be made exempt from the rules. Even if she were to obtain a gun license that allowed her to carry a weapon.

The story has come as somewhat of a surprise to people living in the local area as it’s a close and quiet community. And Dartmouth College, situated in the pleasant state of New Hampshire, belongs to the prestigious Ivy League. The state takes its name from the English county of Hampshire. And the name Dartmouth comes from a tiny parish town in the south of England. Both are close-knit, rural communities. However, a quick peek in an English estate agents in Dartmouth will show you that is where the similarity ends.

Woolrich has been told that she must adhere to college policy by storing her gun at the on-campus security facility. Her argument is that if Bennett does show up on campus and she’s unable to defend herself, she’s then at serious and unnecessary risk. She states that it’s a matter of student safety. She said that if the rules aren’t changed, she’ll have to leave Dartmouth the day he’s released from prison. The university is now ‘taking steps’ to help Woolwich feel safer whilst on campus. And Bennett continues to maintain his innocence.